美联社新闻一分钟 2006-10-17

1. Residents of Hawaii are cleaning up from a strong earthquake and a series of aftershocks. The main quake was estimated at magnitude 6.6. No death is reported but there are several minor¹ injuries. The quakes caused some damage to roads, buildings and homes on the Big Island of Hawaii.

2. Top US envoy² is in Japan today to discuss North Korea's recent nuclear test. Christopher Hill says the trip is about implementing³ sanctions against the Communist country. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice leaves tomorrow for meetings in Japan, South Korea and China.

3. Lots of school kids in the Buffalo⁴ area are getting not a snow day but week. Three suburban⁵ districts say they will remain closed until next Monday because of last week's record snowfall.

4. Neil Simon is joining an elite⁶ comedy club. The playwright⁷ was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for Humor at Washington's Kennedy Center Sunday night, joining Richard Pryor and Steve Martin among others who have received the high award

WORDS IN THE NEWS


1. clean up : PHR-V
If you clean up a mess or clean up a place where there is a mess, you make things tidy and free of dirt again.

2. snow day : N-COUNT
A snow day is a day on which school classes are cancelled or delayed due to snow or heavy ice.

3. elite : N-COUNT
You can refer to the most powerful, rich, or talented people within a particular group, place, or society as the elite.

4. playwright : N-COUNT
A playwright is a person who writes plays.=dramatist

1 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

2 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

3 implementing   

v.实现( implement的现在分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• -- Implementing a comprehensive drug control strategy. ――实行综合治理的禁毒战略。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• He was in no hurry about implementing his unshakable principle. 他并不急于实行他那不可动摇的原则。 来自辞典例句

4 buffalo   

n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛

参考例句：

• Asian buffalo isn't as wild as that of America's. 亚洲水牛比美洲水牛温顺些。
• The boots are made of buffalo hide. 这双靴子是由水牛皮制成的。

5 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

6 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

7 playwright   

n.剧作家，编写剧本的人

参考例句：

• Gwyn Thomas was a famous playwright.格温·托马斯是著名的剧作家。
• The playwright was slaughtered by the press.这位剧作家受到新闻界的无情批判。